Gold separator and extractor



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Patented Deo. 11,1894.

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GOLD SEPARATOR AND BXTRAGTOR.

Patented Deo. 11,1894.

UNITED VSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN B. BETTEGAR AND ACOB SCHWARTZ, OF ALBUQUERQUE, TERRITORY OF NEW MEXICO.

-GOLD SEPARATOR AND EXTRACTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 530,677, dated Dezember 1 1, 1894. Application und May 2s, 1894. serial No. 512,811. (No man.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:A

Be it known that we, JOHN B. BETTEGAR and JACOB SCHWARTZ, citizens of the United States, residing at Albuquerque, in the county ot' Bernalillo, Territory of New' Mexico, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gold Separators and Extractors; and we do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine.

This invention is an improved device for separating and concentrating the precious metals.

The object of our invention is to thoroughly extract and separate gold and other metals from dirt, such as sand, gravel, cement, clay,

or any other material usually found in what are known as placer diggings, and also outI of gold quartz when properly pulveri'zed.

Our invention is particularly adapted for the separation of gold, and depends partlyupon the well known principle of an air blast for separating heavy or precious portions from the lighter and earthy material.

Our invention depends also upon the well known rotary sitting motion by means of which the heavy particles are shaken to the bottom and the lighter particles and lumps caused to come on top. In the ordinary op'y eration of these well known separating devices, however, a large percentage ot" flour, float, and even coarse gold, has been lost on account of the insuiicient rotation of the plate and action of the air blast thus allowing the heavy particles to lodge and pack solid behind the cross bars, or rifdes, thereby allowing all the next succeeding metallic particles to travel over such packed dirt, over the plate to be discharged as tailings.

The principal object of our invention is to overcome this objection and save all the gold contained in loose or free dirt ofI all description, and with this object in view our invention consists in so combining these two active principles that the material treated in our machine or device is simultaneously subjected to a rotary sifting motion and a continuous air blast.

Our invention consists also in certain details of construction hereinafter described and also in certain novelties of combination cation, Figure l is a side elevation ot our improvedydevice. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of they same, the rifde plate being shown detached from the machine. Fig. 3 is an end view.' Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the air chamber with the riflie plate removed. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the crusher or breaker. 4

In carrying out our invention we employa horizontal traine work or support A and at one end of the same erect the vertical standards A between the upper ends of which is arranged the hopper B, said hopper being braced in position by means of the inclined brace rods b. The hopper Bis also provided with a movable vregulator gate b for determining the amount of o're or earth that shall pass to the breaker or crusher C, which consists of a longitudinal shaft chaving a series of balls or weights c connected therewith by means of chains c2. Adjacent to the breaker 0r crusher and within the hopper is also arranged a screen or sifting frame D which prevents the lumps passing from the hopper until they are reduced to the proper size.

Mounted` upon the frame A is an air compressing chamber E having a solid bottom e of wood or metal the exible sides e preferably of calf or sheep skin,'and an upper open frame e2 by means of which the sid es are held in place, said'frame being'A supported upon links or rods e3 which have balls at their ends to tit socket joints upon the main frame and ,riftle plates so that the air chamber can have a rotary movement in a horizontal plane as hereinafter described. The rile plate F rests upon and is secured to the top frame of the air chamber, said rifile plate consisting of the side frame f and the cloth bottom f to which the metallic riftle irons or cross bars fz'are attached. A screen f 3 is stretched across the riftle plate a short distance above the rifies proper said screen being intended' to prevent large pieces of dirt falling upon the rifde cloth. This rifde plate F is secured tothe topframe of the air chamber by means of the depending hooks f4 at the sides thereof which hooks engage pins f5 upon the sides of the top frame; said hooks and pins being heldin engagement by means of a clamping screw f 5 IOO which is carried by the top frame e2 and bears upon the end of the riflle plate as shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 2.

Communicating with the air chamber near each end is a double bellows G each bellows being divided centrally by means of a central portion g. These bellows are provided with inlet valves g in their sides and outlet valves g2 at their tops and by means of which the air enters the chamber E. The bellows, G, are connected with each other by means of a connecting rod or bar l-I, and attached to one of the bellows is an operating rod or pitman I-I' which is connected with a bell crank lever H2 said lever being in turn connected with another pitman H3. The upper end of this pitman H3 is connected to the crank arm I upon the end of a rotary shaft I journaled upon the upright standards helow the hopper B. The pitman and lever are all provided with a series of adjusting holes h by means of which their relative length can be varied and the force of the stroke changed as desired or necessary.

The revoluble shaft I is driven by means of a hand crank t' and mounted upon said shaft is a gear K which meshes with a similar gear K upon the shaft c and this imparts a rotary motion to the breaker at the same time that the shaft I is operating the bellows. A beveled gear L is also mounted upon the shaft I', said gear being arranged to mesh with a beveled pinion L mounted upon the upper end of a vertical shaft L2 journaled alongside the upright standard A. A bevel gear L3 is also mounted upon the lower end of this shaft and meshes with a similar gear L4 carried by a horizontal shaft L5 journaled alongside the main frame A. This shaft L5 also carries bevel gears L6 which mesh with gears L7 mounted upon the ends of the short vertical shafts M, journaled in brackets m attached to the main frame A, said shafts M having horizontal crank arms m at their upper ends which are pivotally connected with the top frame of the riiile plate so that a rotary motion is communicated to said plate by the revolution of said crank arms. The crank arms are connected with opposite ends of a rod fm2 which is attached to one side of the top frame of air chamber as shown most clearly in Fig. 4.

In operation the sand, dirt, hard pan or cement containing the precious metal to be separated is introduced into the hopper, and any suitable power applied to the crank i or shaft I. This revolves the crusher or breaker C which in connection with the screen D breaks the material to the proper iineness. It is then deposited upon the riiile plate and any lumps too large to be operated upon will be carried 0E by the screen f3. While the material is being thus crushed or broken the bellows are being operated and iilling the air chamber with air which can escape only through the cloth bottom f of the riitle plate F. At the same time the riftle plate is being revolved or shifted in a rotary manner within a horizontal plane. This rotary movement acts to sift the heavy particles away from the lighter ones, the heavier particles going to the bottom while the lighter particles and lumps arise to the top. This sifting motion also tends to keep the dirt loose and prevent it packing so that the constant air blast can operate upon a well separated mass and not upon a mass compacted at certain places. The advantages then of the rotary motion simultaneous with the air blast are apparent. By having the entire air chamber to rotate the entire surface of the riftle plate is always subjected to a blast, and by constructing and connecting the bellows in the manner we do a constant and uniform pressure of air is maintained.

The device is also exceedingly simple in construction and operation and is constructed in such a manner that it can be quickly and easily set up and taken down when desired.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a concentrator and separator, the co mbination with the frame and hopper of the breaker or crnsher thereon, the revolving drive shafts, the crank arms and gears mounted thereon, the vertical and horizontal shafts journaled alongside the frame, the gears mounted thereon, the short vertical shaft carrying crank arms and gears, the air chamber having double bellows, the adjustable connections between the drive shaft and one of the bellows, the connection between the bellows, the riftle plate carrying a screen and means for connecting the plate to the air chamber, and the movable supporting rods which permit the riflle plate to have a horizontal rotary motion, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with a hopper having a regulating gate, of a horizontal shaft c, passing through said hopper, the chains c2 connected to said shaft and the balls c carried at the end of each chain, and the screen D, arranged within the hopper and adjacent to the breaker, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination with the frame A, carrying the bellows G, of the open frame e2, the movable links e3 supporting said frame c2 the pins f5, carried by said frame, a rime plate resting upon the frame, the depending hooks f4, carried by the rifle plate, the screw f 6, carried by the frame and adapted to bear upon the end of the rile plate to hold the hooks in engagement with the pins, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN B. BETTEGAR. JACOB SCHWARTZ. Witnesses:

FRANK MoKEE, GEO. W. JOHNSTON.

IIO 

